• Standard Chartered launches the 7th cohort of the Futuremakers Women in Tech UAE Accelerator, supporting women-led tech startups.
• The program offers tailored training, AED 550K equity-free funding, and over AED 2.2M in catalytic grants annually.
• The initiative aims to promote economic inclusion, helping 400 women entrepreneurs scale their businesses and create lasting community impact.

Standard Chartered

What happened? Standard Chartered announced the launch of the 7th cohort of the Futuremakers Women in Tech UAE Accelerator. This in partnership with C3 –Companies Creating Change (C3) and Village Capital.

 C3 will deliver the programme locally, leveraging its proven expertise in entrepreneur support and ecosystem development.

What is the aim? The UAE accelerator focuses on supporting women-led tech startups through tailored training, catalytic funding, and network access. 

The initiative is part of Standard Chartered’s global Futuremakers programme. Furthermore, it aims to promote economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people.

Accelerator

What’s in it for participants? The selected startups will have access to up to AED 550 thousand (USD 150K) in equity-free funding from the Standard Chartered Foundation. Additionally, more than  AED 2.2 million (USD 600K)  in catalytic grants will be distributed annually to support the startups across all participating markets. 

Founders will also benefit from a bespoke curriculum, expert mentorship, and exposure to regional and global investors.

Why does this matter? Women  entrepreneurs continue to face systemic barriers when scaling their businesses. This three-year initiative aims to help them overcome those challenges. 

Through the accelerator, 400 women founders across the wider region will benefit from tailored investment- readiness support, grant funding, and mentorship opportunities that will enable their ventures to grow sustainably and create long-lasting community impact.

Kevin Holliday, Managing Director, C3, said: “This initiative reflects the power of collaboration in creating real opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs across the UAE.”

Who are they? The Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF) is a charitable organization that tackles inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people. This is with a particular focus on young women, and people with disabilities. 

Its programmes focus on employability and entrepreneurship, helping young entrepreneurs and jobseekers access the skills, networks, opportunities, and support they need to achieve economic power and participation.